there are things to keep in mind. first of all, you need to keep your expectations in check. if your vision is bad, laser surgery is less likely to be effective for you. you should be at least 18 years old. before that your eyes are developing and changing. and you need to be healthy. laser eye surgery isn't recommended for diabetes, glaucoma, rheumatoid arthritis or other issues that affect the eye. talk to your doctor first. any surgical procedure carries risks. if you're happy with glasses and contact lenses it's probably not worth it to have the procedure. after all, we are here to help you chase life. that will wrap things up for us today. stay connected with my at cnn.com/sanjay. let's keep the conversation going on twitte twittetwitter @drsanjaygupta. time for a check of the top stories making news right now. hello, everyone. a news day today.

stay tuned. you're in the cnn newsroom. i'm don lemon. here is what we are working on today. >> it's very overwhelming. i mean, it took everything to hold myself together. >> the first responders share their emotional stories for the moments they stormed the home of ariel castro, rescuing the women held captive inside. two commuter trains collide, dozens are injured and authorities don't know how it happened. it's lotto mania as the power ball creeps closer to the largest payout in history. too bad for you, i have the winning ticket. plus, one robber's escape plan goes horribly wrong. severe weather all over the place. it will be one of those weekends, everyone. a big part of the northern alabama looks like this right now. a tornado touched down late

yesterd yesterday. nobody was hurt that we know of. trees are down. power lines are down. today was no fun for people cleaning up the mess. it is nasty today. look at that from the middle of the country all the way eastward. we'll be heavy on the weather situation today on cnn. so let's get to it now. alexandra is here. we are talking about enormous parts of the country getting hit. people are getting hammered this weekend. >> as they should be well aware of what's happening. 20 million people twhend impacted. let me show you what's happening. we just saw the big picture. what's happening in southeast alabama. flooding was the big concern. now the threat shifts farther westward. what you are seeing here, this is where the concern is now. this is where the tornado watches are posted. there have been no tornado warnings. we haven't seen any spotted, on the ground or witnessed by radar. tornado watch meaning conditions

are right for tornadoes to develop. here is the threat from nebraska to oklahoma and texas. the threat with this, tornadoes, hail two and a half incheses in indictment and 70 miles an hour wind gusts. the big show looks to be tomorrow. let me show you what's coming together. here is everything we need. it's been a benign severe weather season. april and may are the biggest months for severe weather. we have had tornadoes but it hasn't come together for really a great event in terms of numerous tornadoes. it looks like this weekend it will be. let me show you the ingredients we need. one thing we need is the jet stream dip advancing east. check. we've got it. well defined funnel system. the cold front, warm front, dry line where the convergence of winds and that's where the rotation occurs. the warm moist gulf air. we've got it all. here's today. hail, winds as well from really

nebraska south. but tomorrow that shifts eastward. getting in toward 20 million people from kansas city to joplin, oklahoma city. tomorrow it's i-44, all of that east ward. here it is. saturday, nebraska. today, tomorrow. the big show. you can see the swath of that. then down into monday the severe weather threat. it ramps up tonight. then tomorrow afternoon what we could really see. incredible amounts of tornadoes. thus far the biggest of the season potentially. >> oh, my goodness. heavy focus on the weather. a big part of the down vi is getting hit. we'll go live in a little bit on cnn. we'll get back to you as well. thank you. texas took a stunning blow before alabama in the small town of granbury, families are trying to see the damage caused by one of 16 tornadoeses th that hit t state. there is also relief. this storm victim had been

searching for his dog. he found him at a shelter. now they are back together. with more on the storm recovery, here's nick valencia. >> we spent the morning outside here at the church of christ where ranchos brazos residentses are trying to get permission to reenter their community. volunteers and charity organizations are working with survivors and trying to get them back on their feet. we have heard haunting stories of survival. none more haunting than that of 17-year-old dylan whitehead. dylan said he was picked up 20 feet in the air by the tornado. he thought he was taking his last breath. >> i was in the air. i opened my eyes and i was about 20, 30 feet up in the air. >> the tornado picked you up. >> yes. i saw the debris flying around me. >> dylan said he was outside at

the time the tornado hit. he saw the cloud formations and the twister formed. he said he didn't have time to get out of the way. he was knocked unconscious after being hit with wood in the head. a lot of residents say they are lucky to be alive. the community is banding together in hopes of putting their lives back together and hoping they can return to somewhat of a normal life. don? >> let's hope so. thank you for that, nick. let's be realistic now. you have a better chance of being struck by lightning but that hasn't stopped lottery fever from spreading across the u.s. the power ball jackpot is $600 million. the drawing is tonight. lisa desjardins live at falls church, virginia. i said i had the winning ticket. i don't. the drawing is later tonight. two questions everyone wants to know. how much money could a jackpot winner get and what are our

chances of winning? >> okay. the big number, $600 million. of course that's not what you would take home. you would take home maybe $200 million after taxeses if you take the lump sum. still lots of money. that's why people are coming to this station in virginia to buy tickets. been here all day. you're right the other question is about the odds. they are not so good, don. 1 in 175 million chance of winning the jackpot tonight. we want to give you perspective on that. we'll do something strange. we'll go from here toru shah. check out this video. a lot of folks remember the meteor that exploded over russia a few months ago. folks are remarking what are the chances of a meteor striking the earth. let's go to a graphic to bring us back to the lottery. the chance of winning the jackpot is 1 in 175 million. the chance of a large as steroid passing through earth's at monthsster on the same day a

meteor hits is 1 in 100 million. there is a larger chance to have an asteroid and meteor hit on the same day than for you to win the lottery. not a great chance. >> we don't want to be party poppers here. we just played the lottery among our team just a couple of weeks ago. it seem it is jackpots keep getting bigger and bigger. why is that? is it that more people are buying tickets? >> it's one way of looking at it. it's not just that more people are buying. the fact is more states are involved in the lotteries. powerball and mega millions used to be competing lotteries. now many states have both. i was going to talk to our friend here. can i ask you quick, how busy has it been? >> oh, very busy, ma'am. we have had a long lines. i sold a lot. everyone trying to buy.

$100, $20, $10. >> reporter: so more states and more people buying in larger quantities, don. back to you. >> all right, lisa. thank you very much. we'll get back to you as well. with the odds of winning tonight set at 1 in 175 million, why do people play? why? in 15 minutes here on cnn we'll talk with human behavior expert wendy walsh about the psychology of lotto players. now to the rescue of the three women held captive in cleveland. it has stirred emotions in people across the country. imagine being one of the first police officers to recognize amanda berry, the first to enter the house and come face to face with gina dejesus and with michelle knight. now for the first time one of the police officers is telling his powerful story. >> she called our car, two adam 23 for a code one.

i responded. you know, go ahead. then she began to state that we got a female on the line stating that she's amanda berry. >> help me. i'm amanda berry. >> do you need police, fire or ambulance? >> police. >> what's going on there? >> i have been kidnapped. i have been missing for ten years. i'm here. i'm free now. >> as soon as we pull up my partner was driving so she came to the driver's side. he looked at me and he's like, it's her. just the emotion from that point of him confirming it was amanda, it was overwhelming. my partner immediately asked her, you know, is there anybody else inside. she said, yes, gina dejesus and another girl. it was like another bombshell just with overwhelming force just hitting me. as we were going up the steps it

was so quiet. peaceful. almost as if i started thinking, all we're going to do is clear the top floor. nobody is going to be there and just leave. then you hear this scuffling, you know, something going on in this room. you know, i'm looking that way, waiting to see, you know, what's going to happen. it was michelle. she kind of popped out into the doorway and paused there for a second. within moments she came charging at me. she jumped onto me. she's like, you saved us, you saved us. i'm holding onto her so tight. then within a few seconds i see another girl come out of the bedroom.

i just look at her. you can immediately tell who it is. just thinner. and, again, i just needed confirmation. i asked her, what's your name? she said, my name is georgina dejesus. it's very overwhelming. i mean, it took everything to hold myself together. you know, i have michelle in my arms and then you've got gina coming out. and it was like one bombshell after another. that's when i called it in. we found them. we found them. police say a car drove into a crowd during a parade. at least 50 people have been juried. we'll have more on the story as soon as we get it. just ahead, a university professor and his wife found

murdered. police believe it may be the work of a serial killer. plus, if you decide to rob someone, you may want a better escape plan than this one. ♪ ♪ fly me to the moon ♪ let me play among the stars ♪ and let me see what spring is like ♪ ♪ on jupiter and mars ♪ in other words

[ male announcer ] the classic is back. ♪ i love [ male announcer ] the all-new chevrolet impala. chevrolet. find new roads. ♪ you chevrolet. find new roads. i am an american i'm a teacher. i'm a firefighter. i'm a carpenter. i'm an accountant. a mechanical engineer. and i shop at walmart. truth is, over sixty percent of america shops at walmart every month. i find what i need, at a great price. and the money i save goes to important things. braces for my daughter. a little something for my son's college fund. when people look at me, i hope they see someone building a better life. vo: living better: that's the real walmart. [ male announcer ] we all have something neatly tucked away in the back of our mind. a secret hope. that thing we've always wanted to do. it's not about having dreams, it's about reaching them. ♪

an ally for real possibilities. aarp. find tools and direction at aarp.org/possibilities. this next story is not for the faint of heart. watch this man approach a woman at a columbia bus station to steal her cell phone. watch. they struggle. look what happens next. when the thief runs off he's hit

by a bus. believe it or not, the woman he targeted helped him get out from under the bus and he is okay. in trouble -- wow, but he is okay. a shocking double murder. a mystery has people on edge at the creighton university medical school in nebraska. dr. roger brumback was weeks away from retiring and moving away to enjoy his golden years. movers found him and his wife mary dead in their home. flashback five years. the son and house keeper of the professor in the same department at the medical school were found dead at home. this is certainly a murder mystery and intriguing here. stephanie went to the graduation. what was the tone there? >> reporter: it's really interesting, don. obviously this is a huge accomplishment for these students. these people are happy. they have earned degrees. their families are thrilled to

see them graduate. for the subset of people within the medical school who did study under dr. bromback, knew him this was a bitter sweet week as they were preparing to graduate. we caught up with two grads to find out how the week has been for them. >> you could tell he just loved to teach students. booming voice. just really taught us a lot in the few classes we had with him. you could tell he loved his profession and giving back to the community. >> it's been somber. it cast a pall over graduation almost. our families are happy, we're happy, but at the same time there is a cloud over everything that's happening. >> the school said they have stepped up their security measures around campus. the police department not giving out a lot of details surrounding the murder investigation here. they want to make sure they

don't leak too much out to hurt the investigation. >> tell us about the 2008 double murder. do police believe it may be linked to the bromback killings? >> reporter: right. the thing that happened here, the reason they are interested in that is in 2008, another faculty member from the pathology department, dr. william hunter, his 11-year-old son and the family house keeper were found murdered in the family's home. that murder is still a cold case. it's never been solved. the pathology department at creighton is only 12 people. it's a small community you are talking about. a subset of a community basically. they just want to make sure there aren't connections. that's why they are looking to see if they can find other parallels in the case. >> stephanie, we appreciate your reporting on that. it's one of the biggest lotto ja jackpots in, h. the odds of you or me winning are slim to none. why do so many people spend so much money on it? one,

bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ] now where's the snooze button? ...and we inspected his brakes for free. -free is good. -free is very good. [ male announcer ] now get 50% off brake pads and shoes at meineke. britta olsen is my patient. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate, administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart."

i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson.

time to meet our cnn hero of the week serving up second chances with a dash of hope to young offenders in san francisco. >> i used to get into trouble, i was selling drugs. >> there was domestic violence in my home. i didn't see a future for myself. >> once i had a record, i felt i wasn't going to be able to get a job. i'll just go back to doing what i used to do. >> you guys know better than anybody you're the ones that have to change. i worked as a juvenile corrections officer, often young people would get out ready to start a new life, we put them in the exact same environment and they would come back to jail. witnessing that over and over i could not not do something about it. i'm teresa goines, i started the old school cafe, it gives them the skills and the opportunity to change their lives. >> everybody needs to pay attention.

>> our program provides four months of hands on training. >> this is where you say excuse my reach. >> our motto is jump in and learn. if they complete that successfully they get a chance to apply for an employee position. we're excited to have you on the team and really proud of you. >> you do the hiring, you do the firing. we do reviews. you know what it means to have sense of urgency. you're a team player. >> i want them to keep rising up in leadership and management. the theme of the restaurant is '20s, '40s, harlem renaissance. i see my role as being support staff. >> all i used to make is top ramen and grilled cheese and now i'm cooking everything on the menu. >> a lot of opportunity. i know this will help me stay out of trouble. >> the core of it is giving them hope. >> i'll be my own boss. >> i'll be an entrepreneur. >> i'm going to be successful. >> once the light goes on whatever they do, they're on

their way to fly. [ applause ]

six numbers that can change your life forever to the tune of about $600 million. you won't get all of that but you get a lot of money. you are more like lly to die fr a bee sting, be struck by lightning than win the jackpot but i would rather win the jackpot. i'm sure you would as well. wendy walsh joins me now. you would rather win the jackpot than be stung by a bee or struck by lightning. >> yeah. but the statistics weren't enough for me to stop at a

convenience store on the way in. i'm not playing. >> i am. after the show i'll buy. why not? >> nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. jackpots grow exponentially right near the end because of the behavior getting copied by people. for sure. >> so the chances are slim, correct? >> the chances are slim. what's disturbing to me is people don't want to think about what it means to maybe get eaten by a shark or struck by lightning because that's a negative thing. plenty of americans report that buying lottery tickets is pension fund investment to them. that's disturbing. this really should be just fun. >> why do we do it then if the odds are so poor here? >> because every one of us, don -- you, too, and me, too, have buried deep in us a cinderella complex.

we want prince charming to show up and take us away. we have a rescue fantasy. it gets ignited. it's healthy in small doses, lying low. it gets ignited during the times when there is a potential that, wow, lottery could change things. >> so the so-called lottery fever, is that a crowd drawing a crowd? what is lottery fever? >> definitely a crowd drawing a crowd. it's our rescue fantasy being ignited. i was raised in a family where my dad -- we were socialized not to buy lottery tickets. he felt it was the way of the government's way to tax the poor. he says the poor need the rescue fantasy so it's a ruse. >> most of the time you see, i won, i won. wait five to 15 years and all of the sudden you hear about this person who won the lottery, lost

everything and almost lost their mind as well. the reality is most people burn through the winnings quickly. >> burn through the winnings and have a lot of problems with their personal relationships, don. people come out of the woodwork. it's like an athlete from a lower socioeconomic family who wins a great contract. what happens is you have everybody coming out of the w d woodwork. people who make less money are more charitable. they give way more than wealthy people. so they are filled with compassion and want to give the money away to all these sob stories. they also don't know how to manage large funds. obviously if you win the lottery the best advice i can give you is get a great financial planner and lawyer up right away. >> i wish we had -- it's interesting to me. you say money doesn't buy happiness. when someone doesn't have money they say, it's easy for you to say that. you have money. >> it's all relative, don.

the happiness studies are clear. money only contributes to happiness if it takes you from poverty to a middle class. in fact, $75,000 a year is growing from zero increases happiness along the way. after that, money doesn't have a darn thing to do with happiness. it's what wes choose to feel, don. >> it's the thing we say. everything in moderation. it's like drinking too much. have one glass or two glasses of wine, that's perfect. drink the whole bottle it's too much and you can't handle it. >> exactly. >> thank you, wendy. we appreciate it. moving on, a boeing 737 catches fire and passengers scramble to the wings to escape. we'll show you how it played out ahead. what makes a sleep number store different?

what makes a sleep number you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those. if you want a soft bed you can lie on one of those." we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. the sleep number memorial day sale. not just ordinary beds on sale, but the bed that can change your life on sale. the sleep number bed. this is your body there. you can see a little more pressure in the hips. take it up one notch. oh gosh, yes. you get that moment where you go, "oh yeah" ... oh, yeah! ... and it's perfect. they had no idea that when they came to a sleep number store, we were going to diagnose their problems and help them sleep better. and right now save on the closeout of our classic special edition bed set. just $1299-a savings of $600-and discover the only memory foam bed with dual air adjustability.

once you experience it, there's no going back. wow. don't invest in a mattress until you find your sleep number setting. sale ends june 2nd. only at the sleep number store. sleep number. comfort individualized

man, everybody's worst nightmare. a plane's landing gear burst into flames over russia today. the pilot managed to safely land it near moscow. sky news is reporting that no one was hurt. that's certainly very lucky that no one was hurt. look at this. passengers escaped the plane by jumping off the wing. disaster crews in connecticut still trying to figure out how two crowded commuter trains crashed into each other during rush hour yesterday. it happened on the busy new york to new haven corridor.

70 people went to hospital. some are hurt badly. susan candiotti in bridgeport for us. officials released new information. what are they saying? >> reporter: the national transportation safety board just wrapping up its news conference. said it absolutely has not decided. it's so early. what could have possibly caused the crash. they did indicate they are focusing on one possibility. that is they found a small fracture in one of the railses involving the eastbound train. that's the one headed from new york to new haven and is the one that initially derailed and crashed with another commuter train 6:15 friday night. they will take a closer look at that. they are taking charge of the black boxeses called event recorders and sending those to the lab in washington, d.c. to analyze those for additional information. they are looking at a lot of possibilitieses here.

nothing has been ruled out. governor malloy from the state of connecticut was here and talked about what he saw. >> what happened is a train derailed and is literally plowing through tons of gravel as well as tearing up metal. so it slows the point of impact. >> reporter: as you indicated, don, 70 people initially were treated at local hospitals. at last check, nine people remain hospitalized. two of them in critical condition. we spoke with some of the passengers about what they went through. >> all of the sudden we just hear, boom. then we saw, like, smoke everywhere. i was just focused on my kids, just hugging them, embracing them. >> i almost flew over the seat but i held on. i'm okay. there were people hurt though. >> they said the point of impact

was simply terrifying. how long will this rail line be out of service? at least they are saying days, but we really don't know how long that investigation will take place. this is a very important and and boston.e between new york right now there is no more direct service until this investigation is complete. for the time being eventually people can get as far as going from new york to bridgeport, connecticut, where we are now, 60 miles outside of new york. then take buses around here and continue on to boston as an example of one alternate route. don? >> that is a busy route. thank you very much, susan candiotti. much of the country bracing for severe weather including possible tornadoeses and flooding. we'll the tell you where next, but first here is cnn's christine romans with this week's smart is the new rich. >> reporter: after this, you may think you are done with this.

but the homework has only begun. the good news is the economy is recovering. stock markets are on a tear. companies are flush with cash but they are still not hiring robustly. one-third of recent grads said they were making no more than $25,000 a year. with tens of thousands of dollarses in debt to pay off and a still sluggish jobs market, was it worth it? >> the long term data says investing in a degree is the right thing to do. you have to treat it seriously like an investment. really show interest and passion about the area you want to work in. start networking early. last, take every opportunity. >> reporter: every opportunity because your dream job may not be attainable at first. and it's going to change with time. >> people that have more skills and more education are doing better and surviving better in this comeback than our people who do not. >> reporter: the data show is

nearly two-thirds of recent college grads say they need more training in order to get that dream job. fewer than half say they got it in their first job after graduation meaning plan your next two or three career moves now. figure how your first job out of college can help with those moves. finally, start planning for retirement now. does your company offer a 401(k) match? take it. start saving now. pay off your debt as soon as possible. christine romans, cnn, new york. everyone's retirement dream is different; how we get there is not. we're americans. we work. we plan. ameriprise advisors can help you like they've helped millions of others. to help you retire your way, with confidence. ♪ that's what ameriprise financial does.

that's what they can do with you. let's get to work. ameriprise financial. more within reach. let's get to work. angie's liat angie's list, i autyou'll find reviews. on everything from home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. if you want to save yourself time and avoid a hassle, go to angie's list. at angie's list, you'll find the right person to do the job you need. and you'll find the right person quickly and easily. i'm busy, busy, busy, busy. thank goodness for angie's list. from roofers to plumbers to dentists and more, angie's list -- reviews you can trust. oh, angie? i have her on speed dial.

as we promised, we'll keep an eye on severe weather all over the u.s. this weekend. conditions are good for tornadoes from nebraska to texas. by good we mean it could happen.

that's not good news. the conditions are right for them. look at this. northern alabama today. we've got storm damage. we've got flooding there. people in several communitieses ha have a lot of cleaning up now. scott packard joins us from oxford, alabama. he's with our birmingham affiliate in the area, wiat. where are you exactly and how high is the water? >> reporter: we are in talladega county. it's a fraus traiting day for people who live here. highway 21 is closed by the alabama department of transportation for good reason. the water on a bridge just about a half mile down that way is covering that bridge. it's salt creek. it overflowed banks sometime in the overnight hours knocking down a fence, causing a headache for a guy who owns cattle down there. he had to round them up and move them to a temporary location until he gets it is fence repaired. water in this area hasn't made its way inside homeses. it's close for a lot of folks

but mostly frustrating because people can't get home. the roads are closed. state troopers are turning people around. don, if there is more rain over the next several hours the headache this area is filling will only grow bigger. the fate of jodi arias is just days away. before the jury decides, shes has one more message she'd like to deliver. we'll talk about it next. [ male announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance in sync?

try align. it's the number one ge recommended probiotic that helps maintain digestive balance. ♪ stay in the groove with align. ♪ need help keeping your digestive balance in sync? try align. it's a probiotic that fortifies your digestive system with healthy bacteria 24/7. because your insides set the tone. stay in the groove with align.

jodi arias. the trial resumes monday. still in the sentencing phase. this comes after the arizona jury found she was exceptionally cruel when she murdered travis alexander in 2008. jodi arias could be sentenced to life in prison or death. holly hughes is here. the defendant spent 18 days on the stand during the trial. do you think she'll speak to jurors again? >> she is. her attorney said in his open that jodi arias will come up and talk to you. what will be fascinating, don, is if she e repeats what she told the reporter after she was convicted which is i want the death penalty. >> it will be a tough spot. they are trying to save her life but she herself said she would rather face death. >> and said it on national tv. there is something called impeachment in a courtroom. if you can be proven to be lying. if she says "spare me" the pru will impeach by playing the tape that says i want the death

penal penalty. >> what does that mean? >> the jury will be confused. it is hard to put somebody to death even if you think they deserve it. now to a difficult story. it is an unusual one. it's in south carolina. it's a lawsuit that's being called the first of its kind. the adopted parents of a child born with male and female organs say the state mutilated their son by having his male genitalia surgically removed. the surgery took place when the child was a ward of the state and was 16 months old. take a listen to the child's adoptive mother. >> they determined with no idea of how our son would self-identify what gender he would be by performing a medically unnecessary and mutilating sex assignment surgery. >> before you comment on whether or not they have a case here, i want to say that cnn did reach out to the south carolina department of social services.

they declined to comment on pending litigation. do you think this couple has a decent case? >> i think they have a difficult case, don. at the time the surgery was performed on this little girl she was 16 months old but was the ward of the state. the state had the ability to make medical decisions. the doctors said based on how the anatomy is forming we think it is best to assign female gender to this child as opposed to male. it will be a hard case for the parents to make that this was mutilati mutilating. it was done obviously medically correct. what i think we are going to see from this is legislation saying, you know, you have to wait until the child can self-identify. i think we'll see the legislature having to step up and address a question that they haven't had to address before. if you are a ward of the state, at what age does the surgery have to be performed and is it medically safe not to perform it

at all until the child can decide for themselveses? >> that was my question. you know children are cruel. you want to know about your body and all of that. >> that was one of the doctors came out, made a statement and said, you know, right now there have been no studiess done. there haven't been children allowed to grow up with both. so it would be an experiment. is that more emotionally cruel to do to a child than to do the assignment surgery? >> 16 months old. >> yes. >> how much rights does a 16-month-old have? >> if any 16-month-old needed a quick surgery for an appendectomy or got hit by a car and needed surgery, who signs off on the surgery? the legal parent or guardian. so at this point, whoever is the guardian of that child, they are responsible for making the medical and legal decisions. >> that was the state at that point. >> because the baby was a ward of the state. so the state made the decision they thought was in the best

interest of the child. now we are all sort of looking back saying, was it? because now this little girl is 8 but identifies as a boy and dresses as a boy and describes himself as a boy. >> wow. difficult. >> very, very difficult decisions and the law needs to catch up with the reality, don. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> coming up, this man saved nearly 700 children from the nazis in world war ii. hear his incredible, nearly forgotten story next. ♪ fly me to the moon ♪ let me play among the stars ♪ and let me see what spring is like ♪ ♪ on jupiter and mars ♪ in other words [ male announcer ] the classic is back. ♪ i love [ male announcer ] the all-new chevrolet impala. chevrolet. find new roads. ♪ you

humans. we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today, like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance, we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch, up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy?

when hitler began his crusade across europe and ruthless persecution of anyone of jewish dissent, most of the world looked the other way. one took action, organized a rescue of 669 jewish children from nazi occupied czechoslovakia. it saved their lives and is now

known as operation kinder transport. we caught up with winton who turns 104 this weekend, and one of the men he saved to hear firsthand how this mission came to be. >> as war appeared imminent, refugees streamed into germany. >> deep shadows of another world war spread over the universe. ♪ >> heil. >> i remember his voice roaring on the radio. germans got closer and closer. first he was in germany, then he was in austria, then on the border of checks slovakia, then he was in my hometown. my name is joe. mickey whitten saved my life. >> when the crisis with hitler

arose, we knew in a way much more of what was happening in germany, even with the government, because we were taking in relatives of ours who were refugees from germany, they were the jews and they were the ones who were in danger. >> nobody expected anything quite as final as the final solution, as the holocaust, but we knew things were going to be tough. then one day i heard my mother say to a friend we're going to send our boys to england just 'til things blow over. >> we've got these children who are in danger and we're looking for a home to send them to safety. the number of children i could help depended entirely on the number of guarantors i could get. somebody said they wanted to take a child, we just sent them some photos, asked them to

choose one. all they had to do was to say yes and they had one. >> the train was late that night from prague. they herded us into the toilets. last time i saw my father, spent the night there. i never saw my parents again. when i was sent to this school for czech refugees in wales, some of the children at the refugee school were also on the transports. we were each other's family. we didn't have parents but we had each other. none of us knew anything about

nicky, about his role until the late '80s. all of a sudden this scrapbook surfaced. nicky's wife found this suitcase when she was cleaning the attic, opened it up, there were these names of children and letters from parents asking nicky to take their children to england. at the time he wasn't aware he was saving lives, but of course he did save lives. we would have all been dead. in fact, the last transport that he organized, 250 children, was for september 1st, the day the war started. so the train never left. and just about all those children died in the holocaust. >> it is very gratifying to know that what i did was successful, but i mean, if other countries had participated, we could have

saved many more. >> nicky's family is an award winning documentary that tells a nearly forgotten story of nicholas winton, and operation kindertransport, playing in theaters around the country. coming up, she is the radio and tv superstar that many are calling the next oprah. my interview with wendy williams right after this. and do you know your... blood type? a or b positive?? have you eaten today? i had some lebanese food for lunch. i love the lebanese. i... i'm not sure. enough of the formalities... lets get started shall we? jimmy how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico? happier than dracula volunteering at a blood drive. we have cookies... get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.

ever pass a communal

television set where wendy williams is on, you will see women and men of all ages and ethnicities sitting around watching, transfixed. she's a new phenomenon. some people call her the next oprah. her show is a phenom. >> it is not a black or white thing, it happens to be ring mastered by a nutty black woman from new jersey. what i see when i look at my audience is the way my life has always been, it is the way i have been raised and that's just that. it is everybody else, some of everybody else, who is shocked at oh, my goodness, did i see a woman in a berka and three friends next to her? yes, you did, it is wendy williams show, come one, come all. >> she's the new breakout talk show host. my full interview with wendy williams coming up tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern here on cnn.

you don't want to miss that. i am don lemon. see you an hour from now. "the situation room" with wolf blitzer begins in a couple seconds here on cnn. damage control at the white house. president obama is hitting back, taking steps to contain a series of major controversies. can he save his second term agenda? an exclusive inside look how the u.s. military is force feeding hunger stricken detainees in guantanamo bay. defense lawyers say it is inhumane. giant waves of ice 30 feet high in some places pushing ashore and crushing lake front homes. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." ♪ we begin over at the white house wherehe